SLATER TAKES FORMULA 3 POLE IN QUALY ENDING PREMATURELY
Freddie Slater claimed pole position for the FIA Formula 3 Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps after a dramatic qualifying session that was heavily affected by rain and ended early following a red flag.
The Trident driver set the fastest lap of 2:05.150 during the opening minutes of the session, making the most of the changing conditions before the weather worsened. With no opportunity to improve after the red flag, Slater secured an important pole position in the fight for the championship.
Rain arrived just before qualifying, catching teams off guard after a dry start to the day. Knowing that conditions could deteriorate quickly, every driver headed onto the circuit immediately in search of a competitive lap.
The session effectively lasted only around ten minutes before a major incident brought out the red flag. As drivers slowed to create gaps for their flying laps, several cars became bunched together, with some running side by side through multiple corners. The situation eventually led to a collision involving Noah Stromsted, Kean Nakamura-Berta Yamakoshi and James David, forcing race control to stop the session.
While marshals cleared the damaged cars, the rain became significantly heavier, making any further running impossible. Race control ultimately decided not to restart qualifying, meaning the times set in the opening phase determined the provisional grid.
Behind Slater, Tuukka Taponen qualified second, while Yamakoshi completed the top three despite his later involvement in the accident. However, the starting order is still subject to change, with several drivers placed under investigation.
Among those being investigated are Théophile Naël, Louis Sharp and James Wharton, who were accused of excessively slowing the leading group and contributing to the traffic that developed before the crash. The incident involving Stromsted, Yamakoshi and David is also under review by the stewards.
Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu endured a difficult session and could only qualify ninth, while title rival Naël finished tenth. If those positions remain unchanged, Naël will start Saturday’s Sprint Race from reverse-grid pole, although the ongoing investigations could still alter the final starting order.
With multiple steward decisions still pending, the official grids for both the Sprint Race and Sunday’s Feature Race will only be confirmed once all investigations have been completed.
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